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    Didn't Mean to Turn You On: A Brief Study in Accidentally Enabled Features

    A DBA enables a feature for testing. A developer installs an option pack 'just to try it.' Months later, Oracle finds it running in production — and sends a seven-figure bill. Here's how accidental feature activation happens and how to prevent it.

    Lena J. Weiner

    Lena J. Weiner

    Technical Writer

    June 2020
    4 min read
    Didn't Mean to Turn You On: A Brief Study in Accidentally Enabled Features

    A DBA enables a feature for testing. A developer installs an option pack 'just to try it.' Months later, Oracle finds it running in production — and sends a seven-figure bill. Here's how accidental feature activation happens and how to prevent it.

    The bottom line

    A DBA enables a feature for testing. A developer installs an option pack 'just to try it.' Months later, Oracle finds it running in production — and sends a seven-figure bill. Here's how accidental feature activation happens and how to prevent it.

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    From our case files

    Feature usage that nobody chose to license is one of the most common findings we make. Two examples:

    Medical Robotics Company Avoids $360K in Oracle Diagnostics Pack Liability with Proactive ArxPlatform Monitoring

    The ArxPlatform caught unauthorized Oracle Diagnostics Pack use, helping a medical robotics firm avoid $360K in licensing liability.

    Read the case study

    How a Leisure Services Provider Avoided a $10 Million Compliance Pitfall as an ArxProtect Customer

    ArxProtect caught unlicensed Oracle AWR/Diagnostics Pack usage—avoiding a $10M claim with 49.9K% ROI on $20K/year.

    Read the case study
    Browse all client results

    About the author

    Lena J. Weiner

    Lena J. Weiner

    Technical Writer

    Lena covered software licensing, audits and asset management for LicenseFortress.

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